Tap Talk

This week's episode of Tap Talk is a direct follow-up to last week's show, "What We Can Learn from Vermont's Flash Drought." In that episode, we primarily discussed the impact of flash drought to private well users in Vermont. This week, we hear about the challenges from the other side of 2025's water crisis: those experienced at public water systems. Sille Larsen, water resources program manager from the Vermont Department of Environment Conservation, tells Jennifer and Steve about the steps taken at the state's water systems and the value of collecting data for understanding longterm drought impacts.
Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

For the 80th episode of Tap Talk, we are pleased to talk with Tom DeBell, an environmental health engineer at the Vermont Department of Health. Tom tells Steve and Jennifer about the intense flash drought that Vermont (and other northeastern states) experienced in the summer of 2025, particularly how the drought impacted private well users in the state. They also discuss the steps that the health department took to help well owners maintain their wells and educate the public on obtaining adequate water supplies during the water crisis.
Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

The more people maintain their septic systems, the more septage gets generated. But, there's increasingly no where for it to go. Sara Heger, a decentralized wastewater expert with NOWRA, is back on the show to break down why septage disposal is becoming a bigger headache, what PFAS and other contaminants have to do with it, and what it might actually take to fix this challenge.
Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

Next up on Tap Talk, we are welcoming Shannan Walton, the National Rural Water Association's Director of Workforce Development, to the show. At NRWA, Shannan has been integral in running the organization's successful NRWA Apprenticeship Program for training new operators across the country. Listen to her conversation with Steve and Jennifer to learn all about the history, development, and the future of this program, as well as Shannan's thoughts on what else we can do to bring young people into the water industry.
Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.

This week on Tap Talk we finish our two-part series with Bob Schreiber! In this episode, Bob (a water resources engineer at CDM Smith and long-time National Ground Water Association member) continues to discuss the development and importance of the National Ground Water Monitoring Network with Steve and Jennifer. They also discuss the links between Bob's advocacy work for both groundwater and bladder cancer awareness, as well as the importance of well testing and the need for greater understanding of the impacts of groundwater contaminants on health outcomes. 
Visit drinkingwaterpodcast.org to learn more and find the full show notes for this episode.